Fire and Ice
by Agent blue rose
Summary: The Lab was all she knew. It was the only thing that existed. It was the world. Or at least, it was untill a terrorist tore it down and she escaped, left to wander until she is found by a tall figure with three warm eyes who can't be burned by her, or frozen. Specimen 12-A may discover earth from the arms of the only one to see her as human.
1. chapter 1

White.

Everything was white, and gray, and black.

The only deveation from this reality were the clinical blue scrubs of the doctors and the sharp variations of her observers eyes.

There were other colors, she knew. She had learned about them from the nurses during her mental development sessions. Brightly colored screens had taught her all she knew.

But in the real world, there was very little in the way of color. Color simply did not exist beyond those screens.

She went by the designated title of 12-A. She was what the the doctors who came every day to poke and prod her called an 'experiment'.

12-A didn't like the doctors much. They would yell and pump strange substances into her and refered to her as 'it', or, 'the specimen'.

Of course, 12-A didn't like the guards or the nurses much either and they were the only other people in the world, so 12-A supposed she didn't like anyone.

This was a dissagreable quality, one could surmise, but it hardly mattered when no one in the world particularly cared what you were like in the first place.

12-A wasn't allowed to touch the people.

her 'genetic modifications' as the doctors called it made touching anyone or anything she didn't have permission to against the rules.

If she did touch someone, they would burn.

well, that wasn't true, they would only burn if 12-A was angry or frightened, which she often was.

Being angry or frightened was bad, the doctors told her.

It sped up her heart, which triggered an increase in the speed of the movement in her molecules, causing her body rise to extreme temperatures.

When she was sad, or depressed, or her heartbeat slowed for any reason, however, her molecules would slow, resulting in the freezing of all surrounding H2O atoms.

whatever that meant.

12-A was a very young specimen, she'd often hear Doctors telling the new nurses and guards. Only seven years old.

12-A was raised in the Lab from birth, they'd say. She was the first for such a procedure.

12-A was the first specimen to survive more than a year after the procedures.

whatever that meant.

the world was a very small place, 12-A learned. There was only Hall, Lab, and Cell. there was nothing else.

Occasionally, Doctors and guards would leave this world, swiping their identity cards against a panel and exit through a gateway.

12-A was not allowed to go through this gateway. That was one of the Rules.

There were many Rules about how 12-A was to act, where to go, and when to speak.

If 12-A was to break these Rules, then the black and white 'collar' as the guards called it, would send a painful shock coursing down her spine.

The shock was quite unpleasant and until 12-A was old enoenough to properly comprehend the Rules, 12-A found herself a victim to this unpleasant sensation daily.

However, by the time she had reached the status of 'five years' the Rules, had been firmly implanted, and such affairs as the gateway became nothing more than an idle fascination.

12-A was determined not to break any rules, not after the Incident.

A guard had come to take her to the labs, and 12-A, feeling quite contrary that day, had refused to leave the comfort of her cott.

The guard had grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her out.

12-A had struggled and grabbed the guards wrist. Due to her current anger the man's wrist had been badly burned, the skin blistering and bleeding.

It had been unlike anything 12-A had seen and it terrified her.

12-A then vowed that she would all but worship the Rules. And never again would she struggle. She was monster that was meant to be contained.

Indeed, after that,12-A was almost the perfect specimen.

Every day was the same. 12-A woke up in her cell, was escorted to the labs, where she would have her daily nutrients and fluids pumped into, after which she would be led to the testing labs, where the guards in protective suits would try to hurt her, and the doctors would tell her to hurt the guards back.

This was the only thing 12-A ever protested.

The guards scared her when they lunged at her with their large batons and deadly blades, tearing through her skin and cutting her fireproof medical gown without effort or remorse.

In turn, 12-A was expected to hurt them either with fire or ice.

12-A didn't want to, she couldn't. 12-A would often scream and whimper in fear, to terrified of the towering, emotionless guards who brandished their weapons at her while scientists on the other side of the glass used their buttons to set off her shock collar in hopes that it would rile her up.

Eventually, the doctors would give up for the day and 12-A would be sent to the main lab for her injuries to be stitched and bandaged by a stone faced nurse.

12-A would then be led to her cell where she would use the facilities and lay on her cott until the darkness overtook her.

The perfect specimen indeed.

Everything else, however, 12-A endured with a blank face.

The shots the chemicals, the testing.

Because this was her life.

This was the world.

There was nothing else.

Right?

 **A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a - a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a**

 **And so dawns a new story that popped randomly into my head while listening to Rihanna.** **Be warned, this will be heavy on the angst my friends. Do not attempt if you can't handle being stabbed through the heart repeatedly.** **Enjoy!** **-Blue**

 **a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a - a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a**


	2. Outside world

The explosion came at noon.

12-A had been melting large junks of various meddles for todays physical development sessions. Elemental manipulation was hard. The only certain way to unlock her abilities was to terrify or upset her.

12-A had eventually settled on running as best as she could to speed up her heart rate.

Suddenly 12-A sensed a rise in temperature not caused by her. She was about to turn to the doctor to see if she had noticed only for the blazing heat to tear through the room in a blast of blinding yellow and white!

The force of the explosion threw 12-A back. The last thing she heard for several hours being the tracker/power generator of her collar cracking.

When She awoke everything was gone. The pristine walls 12-A had known all her life had been reduced to rubble.

Above her was a sight 12-A couldn't even begin to describe.

She knew what 'Sky' was. It had been in her mental development sessions. She hadn't thought such a thing could possibly be real. It was all just stories told to further the progression of her brain cells.

But this was a sky. There was something wrong with this sky though. It was on _fire_!

The whole sky was aflame in red, yellows and pinks.

Well, most of the sky was on fire. In the distance were great looming 'clouds' that hung over great grey 'Cliffs'.

12-A's head was spinning.

None of this was supposed to be real. This couldn't be! The world was tiny, and scheduled, and clinical. This story surrounding her had to a dream, or a hal-oo-sin-a-shon, like the doctors sometimes said.

But the ash coating her skin felt so real, as did the blood grushing from where she'd been injured during the explos-

Oh!

She was injured. It hurt quite a bit. especially the cuts on her feet and her head, which was bleeding.

There should be nurses to patch her up, but they were gone. 12-A knew the word for this particular form of gone. The doctors called it 'Dead'.

It was the explosions fault, 12-A reasoned, as she pushed the rubble away from her and stood on shaky feet.

12-A wondered if the sky was what had exploded, and if it would explode again.

Just in case, 12-A decided she should get away from the sky. It scared her anyways.

So 12-A went to the cliffs.

It was a long and hard journey. The ground went up and down, The air was cold and pushed against her.

And the sky _changed!_ It darkened and glowed, but not enough to see well. The changed was scary and 12-A picked up her pace, her heart racing and flames bursting from her skin. scorching the hard, stony ground under her.

This was bad, very, very bad. She needed a cell! She needed to be contained! Surely she would hurt someone!

These thoughts only frightened 12-A more , the flames leaping higher as she reached the cliffs.

12-A was scared of the cliffs too. They were so tall, and quiet! Spindly machines were scattered around must have been custom cells that covered the entirety of the canyon.

Cells!

12-A picked one deep in the heart of the canyon and curled inside. It was safe in here.

12-A was exhausted. She was only at the status of 'seven years' and had not yet been trained for any sort of endurance. 12-A was so small, even for someone of her status, the doctors had said. There were no doctors now. There wasn't anyone. The only place she'd ever known was gone. She knew nothing of this strange place she'd woken up in. Not to mention, that without her daily nutrient and fluid IV she'd surely die.

Not that anyone would notice, 12-A reasoned. All the doctors and nurses and guards were gone. She must be the only person left in the world.

12-A lay down in a fetal position and closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed, along with her pulse. Her lips went blue and a layer of frost coated her like a blanket. Ice crystals formed around her and spread to the entrance, blocking it off completely.

A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a - a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a

Many miles away, a tall figure opened her third eye and caught a blur of a vision.

Something was in the kindergarten.

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"Are you sure Garnet?"

The fusion nodded and adjusted her visor.

"Positive. There's something in the kindergarten. Can't tell what, but som'thins in there."

Rose nodded seriously.

"Well then I suppose we'd better take a look. After, we might have another Amethyst case on our hands."

Pearl huffed as she attempted to keep said little gem from climbing on top of her.

"I hope not! Can you imagine two of this little monster?!"

Garnet chuckled and lifted Amethyst off of Pearl and set her on the ground.

"Aww!" The short gem pouted for a few seconds before chasing after a seagull.

"Amethyst! Stay here while we're gone." Rose instructed gently.

Amethyst nodded and continued to rush after the wary bird.

Pearl linked arms with her best friend guided Garnet to the warp pad.

"Shall we?" Pearl inquired lightly with a coy smile.

Garnet grinned "I suppose we shall."

Rose smiled as she followed the two to the warp pad. It really was amusing to watch those two talk circles around each other. It was Rose's opinion that the pair desperately needed to kiss and get it over with.

The kindergarten was just as ominous as they remembered. With it's eerie silence and looming injectors.

"Split up I assume?" Pearl asked.

Garnet nodded and stepped off the warp, the others following suit.

Pearl released her hold on Garnet's arm to take a path with Rose while the fusion headed in the opposite direction.

The canyon was large and winding.

Garnet listened closely for any sound of disturbance.

All she could hear was the ringing silence in her ears.

The fusion was just about to give up and head back to the warp to wait for the others when she caught sight of something that made her stomach turn.

Blood.

Garnet knelt down to inspect the red stains warily. It was drying, but still a little damp. Whoever the stuff belonged to could still be here.

Garnet followed the trail of blood to an unusual sight.

One of the exit holes was iced over.

Garnet crouched in front of the hole and placed her hand on the cold, jagged surface of the entrance. Through the mess of crystalized water she could just barely make out a figure inside.

summoning her gauntlets, Garnet smashed as many of the ice shards as she could.

From inside the figure bolted up and a shriek was heard.

Almost instantly a blast of heat had Garnet blanching. Not because the heat could hurt her, having Ruby as a counterpart ensured she was very much fireproof. The heat was unexpected nonetheless and had Garnet falling back slightly.

The ice melted away and evaporated, revealing the tiny figure inside.

She was pale, and thin. Her dark hair was long, surrouning her like a black blanket draped over her head. Her skin was slightly red from the heat she was emitting. Well, the skin that was visible under all the ash that coated her.

The flush of blood in her cheeks betrayed that she was no gem.

She was human. A tiny human child.

Garnet took off her visor to meet those wide, terrified eyes and something clicked deep inside her.

An instinct thought dead amongst her kind from thousands of millennia of disuse.

' _mine_.' A tiny voice in the back of her head whispered.

Garnet vanished her gauntlets and reached out to the tiny being who let out a whimper and scrambled away from her.

"Shh. It's alright." Garnet whispered gently. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

The child looked up at her warily, slowly reaching out to inspect the offered hand, pulling at the fingers and running her own tiny hand over the smooth gemstone on her palm.

The little girl seemed mystefied as she looked between her still burning hands and Garnets own.

Garnet smiled, knowing what to say without even checking her future vision.

"Don' worry, You can't hurt me." The towering gem summoned a tiny little flame that flickered in her palm.

The girl's eyes widened. Carefully, she set her hand palm down onto Garnet's and hesitated, before grasping it as best as she could, her hands really were only about as big as the gems in Garnet's palms.

Garnet gently pulled the little girl out of the hole and cradled her in her lap, inspecting her injuries.

She would need to be healed. Rose could take care of that. But first,

"What's your name, little one."

The child looked up into her tricolored eyes.

"Specimen 12-A." Her voice was feathery and delicate from disuse.

Garnet frowned. A human child with gemlike abilities, no name, medical gown. Garnet put the pieces together.

Her hold tightened on the little girl in her arms. The scientists certainly weren't getting her back!

"12-A isn't much of a name." Garnet murmured. "How about..."

Garnet's minded drifted to some of the prettier names she'd heard over the years. Specifically latin. Pearl had loved Latin as a language. Garnet could see why, it was such a precise and elegant form of speech.

"Lacuna." Garnet mumbled. "Lacy for short."

12-A considered this for several seconds before nodding. She liked the sound of her new title.

"Lacy." Garnet murmured, resting her chin atop the latter's head.

Lacy found this physical contact comforting. She'd never felt anything like it before and rested her head against Garnet's chest.

This new reality was scary but she felt safer curled up in the strong lady's arms. Not to mention tired.

Lacy yawned and tucked her head into the crook of Garnet's neck.

Garnet stood slowly, afraid to jostle this tiny being cuddled in her grasp. A part of her was worried she'd crush the delicate little girl, with her fluttering breaths and half lidded eyes.

"Garnet!"

The fusion stiffened in surprise.

Rose and Pearl peered at the bundle in Garnet's arms in surprise.

"Is that-"

"She's what I saw in my vision. She's an experiment from tha' Lab that got bombed."

"Poor thing." Pearl cooed, taking to Lacy immediately.

Rose frowned. "What are you going to do with her."

Garnet shrugged and made her way to the warp.

"I'm takin Lacy with me."

Pearl grinned. "Lacy, what a pretty name." Garnet nodded "Short for Lucida."

Pearl smiled at the Latin name and stroked her hair. Her smile faltered slightly after a moment.

"She's going to need a bath."

Garnet laughed, causing Pearl to blush and roll ger eyes.

"Well she can't very well walk around covered in ash like this for the rest of her life now can she?"

Garnet smiled. "Suppose not."

Rose frowned. "Garnet are you sure about this? She's human. She'll die within the next few decades."

"Maybe." Garnet aknowledged. "But I doubt it. Whatever the scientists did to her changed her molecules, She can speed then up to cause heat, and slow them down ice things. Humans age because of the gradual wear on their molecules. Her molecules would have to be as stong as ours in order to withstand the constant change. I forsee her living as long as we can in many possibilities."

Rose sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Garnet raised a brow. "Says you." She deadpanned.

"Touché." Rose conceded.

As they warped away Garnet couldn't shake the sense that every thing had just changed.

 **A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a - a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a**

 **Well well well, could it perhaps be...**

 **AN AU?!**

 **Why yes, it is, I'm rather proud of this idea and I hope you lovely veiwers enjoy it too.**

 **I've got a blog on tumblr now, cinderselensworld, blog name Nerdlife. You can send me asks and stuff there about this story or any of my other stories.**

 **I've really put a lot of thought and planning into this story and i hope you like it**

 **-blue**

 **a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a - a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a**


	3. Open eyes

Amethyst raised her head in anticipation when the warp sounded. The purple gem positioned herself in front of the warp and tensed.

the moment the gems apeared on the platform Amethyst pounced, launching herself head first onto Pearl. The pale gem yelped as she was sent toppling to the ground.

"Timber." Garnet called playfully.

Pearl wheezed slightly as she propped herself up on her elbows. Amethyst howled with laughter on top of Pearl's stomach.

Pearl shook her head in exasperation and stood, lifting the purple gem onto her shoulders. "Really, Amethyst?"

Amethyst nodded, giggling slightly. Her amusement turned to curiosity when she noticed the bundle in Garnet's arms.

"Hey what's that?"

Garnet smiled and turned towards the young gem so that she'd be able to see better. "This is Lacy. She's gonna be staying with us."

Amethyst eyed the sleeping figure in Garnet's grasp. "She's kinda small...Like me!"

Pearl chuckled. "I suppose she is, isn't she?"

"She's gotta lot to learn like you too." Garnet added. "So Lacy will be staying behind on missions with you."

"Which means you'll have someone to play with." Rose chimed in, starting to warm up to the idea slightly.

Amethyst grinned "Cool!"

"But," Pearl cut in "You'll have to be careful. Lacy is a lot more delicate than you are."

Amethyst seemed slightly disappointed at this but agreed nonetheless. A friend was a friend and Amethyst was more than happy accommodate for her. Even if it meant dialing her wild mannerisms down a few notches.

"First things first though." Garnet began, heading towards the temple. "She's gonna need a bath. Not to mention her injuries need ta be checked out. "

"You mean that red stuff isn't supposed to be on her?"

Rose shook her head. "I'm afraid not." She turned to Pearl and Garnet "You two get her cleaned up first and then I'll see what I can do."

Pearl nodded and activated her room.

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Pearls room was, of course, the ideal set up for this particular task, as it was more or less a giant fountain.

A very, _very_ giant fountain.

Pearl frowned, Eyeing the large expanse of water around them. "Do you suppose she's seen large bodies of water before."

Garnet shook her head, causing Pearl to sigh. "I didn't think so. I better turn this down a bit then."

Pearls gem lit up, causing the room to glow brightly along with it. The water around them receded, fading into pale hardwood floors. The three large fountains at the center of the room shrunk down slightly but remained all the same. A white marble border formed around the fountain, making it look like a large shallow pool of sorts.

The walls, which had once had given the illusion of being nonexistent, giving the room an endless feel to it, now apeared to form four borders and turned a pleasant peach color. The very back wall turned blue, to add contrast.

The ceiling was white with hundreds of little glowing orbs floating them to serve as lights.

The light dimmed down and Pearl's gem ceased glowing.

Pearl looked around. "You know, I think I like it better this way.

Garnet chuckled and turned to Lacy, who was somehow still sleeping through all this. The fusion nudged her gently, trying to coax her awake.

"Come on little one. Time ta wake up.

Lacy opened her eyes blearily and made a small noise of protest.

"Thas it. Come on."

Lacy finally registered the world around her and twisted her head around curiosly. Finally, her gaze settled on Pearl, who fidgeted nervously at the child's scrutiny.

"Hello there. My name is Pearl."

Lacy cocked her head to the side. In the 'Other world', as she had begun to call it in her mind, she would be expected to simply nod and wait for instructions obediently.

This however, was not the other world. And so instead of waiting for others to form assessments about her, she decided it would be prudent to set about making an assessment of _them._

Turning Garnet she pointed to the ground, signaling that she wished to be set down. Garnet obayed with a smirk and watched with amusement as Lacy walked up to an increasingly nervous Pearl and stared at her intently.

Pearl sweatdropped. Why this childs inspection meant so much she wasn't sure, but it made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

After a moment the seven year old nodded and turned to Garnet with a tiny smile.

"I like her." Lacy spoke in that quiet tone of hers.

Garnet chuckled. "Well I suppose that's good."

Pearl laughed and nodded. "Yes I suppose it is. Now" Pearl gently took Lacy by the hand and guided her to the fountain. "I do believe it's time to wash all that ash off you little Missy."

Lacy eyed the water distrustfully. Whenever the scientists had wanted to clean her they had simply hosed her down. This...whatever it was, wasn't anything she was familiar with.

There were many things in this new existence she wasn't familiar with, but this one was particularly filled with uncertainty.

Lacy decided this 'Wash' wasn't anything that she wanted part in and promptly turned away from it, intent on getting as far away from it as possible.

Garnet caught her easily and picked her up, going back to the fountain and holding her just above the water.

Lacy yelped and looked at Garnet with an expression of betrayal.

Garnet, who had yet to put her visor back on, smiled at her reassuringly. "It'll be alright Lacy. It's jus' water. I promise."

Lacy crossed her arms and glared.

"How about this." Pearl phased away her uniform, trading it for a pale blue one piece swim suit. "We'll get in the water with you. Does that sound okay?"

While Garnet fought not to stare at Pearl's pale, slender legs, Lacy thought this offer over.

After a moment Lacy nodded. Garnet sat herself on the edge of the fountain and phased into a two piece, red and black swim suit.

Pearl gently took Lacy from her best friend and set her on the marble border so that she could help her out of her medical gown.

Eventually, it was Garnet who got into the water first, the clear liquid barely coming up to her knees, and a quick check from Pearl ensured it was warm.

Once she saw that her new caretaker was perfectly comfortable in the water, Lacy carefully edged into it, dipping her feet into the water first.

Lacy froze for a few seconds at first. The water was warm, and silky. It felt...nice. Lacy jumped into it eagerly with a splash that hit Pearl full on.

Pearl gasped at the onslaught

Meanwhile, the fusion knelt down in the water and pulled Lacy into her lap, using a washcloth Pearl had conjured for her to scrub away at the ash coating her skin.

Pearl waded towards them and set about washing Lacy's hair.

Lacy was quiet. Unused to this kind of attention.

"You know." Pearl spoke to Garnet while washing the grime out of the child's soft black hairl, wich was starting to curl under the use of soap. "I still have some dresses from when Amethyst went through that dress up phase of hers. I'm sure if I took them in a little they'd fit her perfectly."

Garnet nodded. "Thanks. I wasn't sure what I was gonna do about clothes for her." She admitted.

Pearl laughed. "For someone with future vision you are terrible at planning ahead!"

"You were always the better tactician and we both knew it." Garnet replied.

"I used to be better than you at fighting, but changed quickly enough." A sly smile formed on Pearl's lips. "Once you figured out how to walk without falling on your face that is."

Garnet replied with a small smile that faded as she considered her companion's words. "Your still a brilliant fighter. You're quick and calculating. If I didn't have my future vision I'd probably be dead by now."

"I'd rather not think about you being dead." Pearl frowned at the morbid thought. "You're my best friend and I'd hate to loose you."

The fusion paused at those words. She knew Pearl was her best friend of course. After six thousand years of fighting, crying, laughing, and in some cases, learning together, the two were so close that they could practically read each others mind.

Yet the words 'best friend' were rarely spoken. It was never needed and yet, felt sacred and warm when said.

this conversation was taking quite the serious turn, Garnet realized.

So she reached over and shoved Pearl playfully. Pearl shoved back with surprising strength for someone her size. Garnet fell on her side, uprooting Lacy from her spot on her lap.

Lacy fell, her head going underwater. Pearl gasped and pulled her back up while Garnet struggled to right herself. "I'm so sorry!"

Garnet placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder. "It's okay. You didn't mean to." She turned to Lacy and spoke in a gentle voice. "Are you alright?"

Lacy blinked, appearing to be in shock.

Several seconds ticked by.

"That was fun!" Pearl blanched at Lacy's excited tone.

Lacy plunged her hand under the water and threw it back up, giggling as the water splashed everywhere.

Garnet wrapped an arm around Pearl's shoulder. "See. She's alright, I think she's got a fightin spirit. Jus like you."

Pearl blushed both at the complement and at the closeness of her best friend. Pearl allowed herself to lean into the ambrace for several moments before standing and lifting the now pristine seven year old out of the water with her.

"All clean now I see." Pearl summoned a few towels and handed them to Garnet who had climbed out after them. "You two get dried while I find those outfits."

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Ten minutes later Lacy emerged from the temple with the two crystal gems at her side.

"Whoah!" Amethyst cried, running up to her. "You look completely different!"

It was true.

When Garnet had stepped off the warp with Lacy in her arms, the child had been covered in ash, her hair dirty and matted.

Now Lacy was clean, her dark brown hair was soft and wavy, falling down to her shoulders, and her skin was pale from a lifetime spent without sun.

Gone was the medical gown she'd been found in, replaced by a lavender dress with a bow at the waist and a pleated skirt that ended at her knees, revealing a pair of grey leggings. To complete the look a silver headband was placed in her hair.

Lacy smiled at Amethyst's words.

"Lacy," Garnet knelt down so that she was eye to eye with the little girl. "This is Amethyst, she's going to play with you when I'm not here."

"You're leaving?" Fear took hold in the form of icy panic.

"Jus for a lil while. But-" Garnet kneals down to look Lacy in the eyes. "I'll always come back."

Lacy relaxes. "Okay."

She looks around at the strange world she's found herself in. The colors and sounds and sensations.

"Okay." She said with far more certainty.


End file.
